Tuesday Lunchtime Hot Links

I don't care who wins the NLCS, I will be their biggest fan for the next two weeks, despite the fact that I'll likely not watch a minute of the World Series. This is a time for resetting, for reacquaintance, for recharging. More at the end.

To the Links:

*Only two teams in MLB history have lost all four home games in a seven-game series: the 2019 Astros and the 2023 Astros. As much as I hate the Rangers right now, I might hate the Astros just as much. 

*Chas McCormick, who got 16 plate appearances in seven games in the ALCS:

I mean, we just didn't play well enough at home. That's what finished our season. We didn't win at home. Game 5, when we came back and won, I was like, 'We have this. We're going back to the World Series.' It's a different taste in the mouth just because I've been in the World Series my first two years in the big leagues, so it's different.

Martin Maldonado, who went 1x7 with runners in scoring position in the ALCS:

It's frustrating, but at the same time, I feel like we accomplished a lot of stuff. It wasn't easy all year. We had a lot of injuries. I'm really proud of this group of guys. We never gave up. Just to make it seven in a row, it's pretty special. 

Jeremy Pena, who hit .160/.192/.160 in the ALCS:

I wouldn't consider [this season] a success.

Kyle Tucker, who hit .150/.292/.225 in the 2023 postseason, 0x6 w/RISP in the 2023 ALCS, and .180/.295/.326 in 24 games in the 2022-23 postseasons combined:

We had a good year, a lot of ups and downs throughout the season. And we at least had the opportunity to get there.

Dusty Baker, who is not under contract for the 2024 season and has indicated that 2023 would be his last in the dugout:

There's a whole bunch of stuff you can point to in that ballgame. And so we just got beat. Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason. Sometimes you lose and sometimes you get beat. There's a difference. We got beat. 

*Dusty Baker is going to take some time to evaluate his situation for 2024:

I haven't had time to evaluate or think about my future because I'm not that kind of dude. I don't want to steal the spotlight or anything from these guys. You've got to savor what we did. You've got to think about how we can get better. And then I'll evaluate my situation and my life. 

Not a single person has any negative thing to say about Dusty Baker's character. 

*Alex Bregman, who only had four hits in the ALCS but included a triple and two home runs:

I think we fully expected to be here, and we expected to win. We got outplayed, and we'll learn from the mistakes this offseason. We'll get after it and be ready to get back to competing.

Justin Verlander, who allowed 12H/6ER in 12.1IP in the ALCS:

I think moving forward, there's still a good window available. It's a little early to say I'm excited about next year (Ed. note: SAME) I'm still dealing with this, but that was on my mind.

*Career Postseason Home Runs, MLB History:

1. Manny Ramirez: 29

2. Jose Altuve: 27

3. Bernie Williams: 22

4. Derek Jeter / Kyle Schwarber: 20

6. Alex Bregman / Albert Pujols / George Springer: 19

The Astros are apparently focused solely on extending Jose Altuve this off-season.

*Yordan Alvarez, 2023 Postseason: .465/.510/.977, 6HR/15RBI. Yordan's 41st career postseason RBI moved him into a tie for 18th all-time with Lance Berkman and Alex Rodriguez. His .949 career postseason OPS is 5th all-time among players with 50 postseason games played.

*I had completely forgotten that The Bastard Chris Young threw 4IP in G1 of the 2015 ALDS for the Royals. I don't think I've ever hated another team's GM more, and I hope his bicycle gets stuck in a cattle grate and skins up his knee real bad. 

What To Watch, October 24:

2:00pm Central: Champions League: Arsenal at Sevilla.

6:15pm: New Jersey at Montreal

7:07pm: DiamondBacks at Phillies.

*Please allow me a moment of introspection and vulnerability: 51 days ago I decided to stop drinking, which is my personal longest streak since the day I was born until the day I turned 21. It was enough of a problem that I recognized it as a problem. It was not recommended by a doctor (mainly because I don't go to the doctor), it was a personal choice. The first few days were really hard. There were certain triggers around particular days of the week and work milestones and whatnot that I recognized were particularly difficult. Still, I made it through with the help of my wife, a couple of friends who are various stages of their sobriety journey, and a lot of mineral water. I didn't want me opening a beer to be the soundtrack of my kid's childhood. I didn't want to have anxiety about what time I got home in the evenings based on when I could have a drink. It hasn't been easy. It still isn't easy, but I'm not fragile. This weekend I'll go to the wedding of one of my best friends (who happens to be a Ramger fan despite not being able to name three Ramgers on the active roster) armed with a six pack of HEB Lime Mineral Water, and it'll be fine. I feel better, I eat better, I can actually feel rested after sleeping, and get up and go to the gym. I was emotionally dependent on alcohol, and probably will continue to feel that way for a while, but I'm doing fine. If I can make it through an Astros postseason - especially this absolute pile of dogshit of a postseason - without drinking, I feel like I'm invincible. I don't know why I'm telling any of you this, but if you feel like you're in a similar circumstance or vortex or whatever you want to call it, feel free to reach out. FTR. 

*A Musical Selection:

Game 5 Hot Links

Ahem. Now we have a rivalry. The Astros won Game 5, 5-4. It was the Astros' 7th straight postseason road win, their last postseason road loss coming in 2022 World Series Game 3, the "Let McCullers Get Shelled and Then Throw A No-Hitter" game.

FanGraphs: Houston 78.4 - 21.6 Six Flags.

Let's look at the Win Expectancy Roller Coaster:

1st Inning - Bregman solo homer: 55.8% Astros

4th Inning - Lowe solo homer: 53.8% Ramgers

6th Inning - Jose Abreu RBI single: 73.8% Astros

6th Inning - Adolis Garcia 3-run homer: 82.7% Rangers

8th Inning - Adolis Garcia HBP: 96.0% Rangers

9th Inning - Yainer Diaz single: 84.3% Rangers

9th Inning - Jon Singleton walk: 72.2% Rangers

9th Inning - Jose Altuve 3-run homer: 82.9% Astros

9th Inning - Mitch Garver single: 65.2% Astros

9th Inning - Jonah Heim single: 53.2% Rangers

9th Inning - Evan Carter strikeout: 100.0% Astros

*Let's talk about that Adolis Garcia HBP:

-Did Adolis Garcia pimp his three-run homer in the 6th? Absolutely! Did he have every right to do that? For sure! I would still be moonwalking between 1st and 2nd base if I had hit that home run, which was actually Adolis Garcia's 100th career home run. That home run was massive. Absolutely no issue with Garcia slamming the bat down and yelling. 

-Did Abreu try to hit him? Obviously I'm biased. I've spent a number of years referring to the Rangers as being located in a different random Metroplex suburb. I hate that team. That said, there is absolutely no reason to hit Adolis Garcia. Evan Carter was on 1st base after Abreu walked him. It was 4-2 Rangers, and the Astros had three outs to play with before having to go back to Minute Maid Park needing to win both games to win the Pennant. I'm sure the Astros have won back-to-back home games in 2023...but I can't quite remember when. (September 9-10 vs San Diego).

-What I'm trying to say is that intentionally hitting Garcia would be the height of stupidity. Garcia had woken up the World's Largest Storage Unit already, there would be no reason to fan the flames. I think Abreu was trying to blow an fastball by him. There were 0 outs. Maybe get a GIDP. 

-I also understand why Garcia was pissed off. If someone hit me with a 97mph fastball you would see my soul ascend (I'm assuming I'm going to Heaven) on a cloud, playing a harp. There wouldn't even be dental records, such would be my demise. 

-Shoutout to Dusty Baker for actually getting out of the dugout and putting his finger in one the faces of this awful umpiring crew. Dusty: "I haven't been that mad in a long time."

-Altuve's homer got Marvin Hudson off the hook for what was an absolutely God-awful job behind the plate. I didn't know Dusty had it in him. It also got Altuve off the hook for trying to bunt with Tucker on second base. 

-Ultimately Garcia's outburst may have actually cost the Ramgers that game. He iced LeClerc, which is French for "The Clerc," for 11 minutes after he got Michael Brantley to juuuust get under one to end the inning with Kyle Tucker on second base. LeClerc's 9th Inning: Walk, Walk, Homer (then some outs). 

Bruce Bochy:

I was concerned about that delay. I really was. It as a long one. It was taking too long, to be honest. The whole thing is a bunch of crap, to be honest, what happened there. Who knows what intentions are, but it's not the first time it's happened, and couldn't get the game going again.

LeClerc:

I'm not used to waiting around that long to pitch again, but it's no excuse. I needed to execute my pitches and do a better job.

That doesn't happen if Adolis Garcia just walks to first. 

-But if Abreu did it on purpose, then he's dumb as hell and deserved to get tossed. And suspended.

*Abreu apparently told Garcia that it wasn't on purpose, and Garcia responded: "Bullshit."

*To the "Game:"

Verlander made one bad pitch. That pitch also moved Verlander out of a tie with Clayton Kershaw for the 2nd-most postseason home runs allowed and past Andy Pettitte's 31 playoff homers and into sole possession of most postseason home runs allowed, at 32.

Of the 32 postseason home runs Verlander has now allowed, 19 have come with the Astros. That breakdown:

Solo: 13

2-Run: 3

3-Run: 3

Grand Slams: 0

It's the 9th time Verlander has allowed 2HR in a postseason game, and the 6th time it's happened with the Astros, who are now 2-4 in postseason games in which Verlander gives up 2HR. 

*Jordan Montgomery vs Houston, ALCS: 11.2IP, 10H/2ER, 9K:3BB.

*Shoutout to Yainer Diaz, who got his first career postseason hit. 

*Shoutout to Jon Singleton, who drew a walk that became the tying run in his first plate appearance since October 1. Singleton:

You put in the hard work, and you stay ready so you don't have to get ready. That's been my motto so far this year. 

*Jose LeClerc had only allowed 23 homers in 302.1 career IP. He had given up 5HR in the 2023 regular season. Only one of those career home runs had more than one on base - a grand slam to Julio Rodriguez on July 15, 2022. And then came Jose Altuve. 

*Jose Altuve hit his 26th career postseason home run to record his 54th career postseason RBI. It was his first multi-RBI game since 2021 ALCS G2. Altuve had 3RBI in his previous 25 postseason games combined. Listen to Robert Ford's call of the home run.

Altuve:

I know everybody is talking about the homer. But if you go and see Diaz's base hit and then Singleton's walk, especially when he hasn't played in a lot of days...coming from the bench facing probably one of the best closers right now in the playoffs, I think the key was these two guys and to be able to score all those runs. 

*Alex Bregman's 18th career postseason home run moves him into a tie for 3rd in franchise history with Carlos Correa. He needs one more to tie George Springer for 2nd. 

*Kyle Tucker got two hits in a postseason game since 2022 World Series Game 1.

*It was Ryan Pressly's first career postseason six-out save, and just the 2nd six-out save of his career. 

What To Watch, October 21

Everton @ Liverpool: 6:30am Central

Leeds United @ Norwich: 9am

Penn State @ Ohio State: 11am

Arsenal @ Chelsea: 11:30am

Tennessee @ Alabama: 2:30pm

Texas @ Houston: 3pm

Washington @ Montreal: 6pm

Utah @ USC: 7pm

*A Musical Selection:

Monday Morning Hot Links

Well Jordan Montgomery did his best Pablo Lopez impression and the Astros now find themselves down 1-0 in the Series. Is it ideal? [sensibly chuckling] No, but it's not the end of the world.

Astros Down 1-0 in a 7-Game Series, 2015-present:

2017 World Series (Won 4-3)

2019 ALCS (Won 4-3)

2019 World Series (Well...)

2020 ALCS (Lost 4-3)

2021 World Series (Lost 4-2)

2022 World Series (Won 4-2)

So that's 3-3 after losing Game 1

*FanGraphs: Houston 42.6 - Six Flags 57.4

*It's the first time the Astros have been shutout in a playoff game at home since 2021 World Series Game 6. There wasn't a game after that. 

*Houston got five hits - all singles - against Six Flags last night. Dusty:

Sometimes you've got to say: 'Hey, the guy threw a great game tonight against us, excellent game. And they say good pitching beats good hitting, but when you don't hit, everybody wants to know what's wrong. There's not a whole bunch to say. He threw a real good game against us. 

*Justin Verlander pitched really well - Evan Carter's 2nd Inning run happened because he took an extra base on his shot underneath Abreu and then hustled to home. The 5th Inning run was one mistake from Verlander. This offense should have bailed Verlander out. 

Verlander's 2023 Postseason: 12.2IP, 10H/2ER, 11K:5BB

It's the 17th postseason start of Verlander's career in which he has thrown at least 6IP and recorded 0-2 earned runs. His teams are 12-5 in those games. He's done it with Houston 10 times, and the Astros are now 8-2 (2017 World Series Game 6 was the other one with the Astros). 

Verlander:

We lost Game 1 in the World Series last year. We've lost Game 1 of some playoff series before. And that's the great thing about this team. Obviously nobody is sitting in the locker room right now happy. But it's very matter of fact, okay. We just got punched, how do you answer?

*Yordan Alvarez had one of the worst games you'll see him have, going 0x4 with 3K and a weak grounder. In 52 career postseason games, it was just the 3rd time Yordan struck out three times. 

Jeff Passan: How Jordan Montgomery finally solved Yordan Alvarez.

*1-5 in the lineup (Altuve-Bregman-Yordan-Abreu-Tucker) went a combined 2x19 with 5K:1BB. Of course Bregman was robbed of a double by Evan Carter, and then was a fraction of a second away from tying the game in the 8th. So that's kind of a hard-luck 2x19, but it still happened. 

Tucker is "hitting" .111/.238/.167 in the 2023 postseason. He's 3x34 in his last ten postseason games. 

Bregman:

Overall, just didn't do enough tonight, offensively. I thought JV threw the ball tremendously, but we need to string together some better at-bats.

Sinkers and curves sunk the Astros in Game 1.

*Jeremy Pena was 1x3, giving him a hit in 16 of his 18 career postseason games. 

*Dusty:

This is the best team I've been around about moving on. And there's nothing you can do. If you're going to lose a game, you'd rather lose it in the first game versus in the middle of the series. And so we know we've got a tough pitcher in Eovaldi tomorrow But we also have a tough pitcher in Framber on our side. 

Eovaldi vs Houston, postseason career: five appearances (2018 and 2021 ALCS), 17.2IP, 19H/10ER, 14K:6BB.

Eovaldi vs Houston, regular season career: 3-4, 53IP, 55K:26BB, 45K:19BB, 4.42 ERA/1.40 WHIP.

Game 2 is at 3:37pm.

What To Watch, October 16:

Sweden @ Belgium: 1:45pm Central

Six Flags @ Astros: 3:37pm

Arizona @ Philadelphia: 7:07pm

*SI: The Wild Quest to Create A Fake Indian Cricket League...That Was Just The Beginning.

*We Salted Nannie: A True Southern Ghost Story

*A Musical Selection, as I have to start getting ready:

Thursday Lunch Links

The Astros have advanced to the ALCS for the 7th straight year, or every single year in which Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez, Jose Urquidy, Framber Valdez, and anyone else whose career began with the Astros after 2016 have been in the Majors. This is a dynasty, and anyone who says otherwise deserves to get their teeth knocked into their throat. 

*Franchises to make seven straight League Championship Series:

Atlanta: 8 (1991-1999, there were no playoffs in 1994)

Houston: 7 (2017-2023)

*Playoff Wins, 2015-2023 (as of the morning of October 12):

Houston: 60

Los Angeles: 47

Atlanta: 24

New York Yankees: 20

Chicago Cubs: 19

Boston: 18

Cleveland/Washington: 16

Philadelphia/Tampa: 15

Kansas City: 11

Toronto: 10

New York Mets: 9

San Diego: 8

Milwaukee: 7

Arizona/Six Flags: 6

St. Louis: 5

San Francisco: 4

Minnesota/Oakland: 3

Chicago White Sox/Miami/Seattle: 2

Colorado: 1

Anaheim/Baltimore/Cincinnati/Detroit/Pittsburgh: 0

Verlander:

We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the bond that we have and the relationships that we have in this locker room, and we hold each other accountable in a good way. Obviously, this team is built different. These guys are built different. When it's time to step up, we play our best baseball.

*The Astros were held to six hits. Two of them, accounting for all three runs, were home runs. Houston is now 16-32 in postseason games in which they've recorded six or fewer hits. 

Houston is also now 1-5 in games where they do not draw a walk. 

15 straight Astros were retired until Jose Abreu got a base hit with two outs in the top of the 9th. 

*Jose Urquidy: 5.2IP, 3H/2ER, 6K:1BB. 53 of his 82 pitches were for strikes. Three of his 17 starts for the 2023 Astros went 17 outs or longer. Urquidy has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 11 of his 13 career postseason appearances. 

Bregman, on Urquidy, Mr. Game 4:

We've seen that since his rookie year, winning World Series games for us. We have a lot of confidence every time he goes and takes the mound. We know what we're going to get every single time: a guy who's competing, a guy who's trying to go execute pitches.

*The bullpen of Neris/Abreu/Pressly struck out eight of the last ten Twins batters in G4. 

*Bullpens:

Houston: 15IP, 10H/6ER, 26K:4BB (4ER were courtesy of Hector Neris in G1)

Minnesota: 19IP, 16H/8ER, 21K:7BB

*Carlos Correa watched Max Kepler watch Strike Three to end the series from the on-deck circle. 

Correa, Games 1/2: 5x8, 3 doubles, 3RBI, 2K:1BB

Correa, Games 3/4: 1x7, 0RBI, 2K:0BB

Correa:

I wanted that at-bat (in the 9th) so bad. I know Pressly very well, and it would've been a fun matchup. It didn't get there, but that's the way it's supposed to be.

Imagine moving Correa down in the order so that Max Kepler can represent the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the 9th and swing twice. 

*What a find by GMs Jim Crane/Jeff Bagwell in this Jose Abreu fella. Abreu was 2x4 with the eventual go-ahead 2-run homer. Abreu had 2HR/7RBI in Games 3&4. Abreu:

The only thing I can say is thank you.k The person that's not grateful with what life has given them isn't going to reach many goals. I can't say anything other than thank you. I'm just very grateful to be here.

*Michael Brantley hit his first postseason home run since 2020 ALCS G3 - a span of 22 games. Brantley:

The core guys that have been here the last seven years, they know how to win games. Since I got here five years ago, you can call it pressure, or when our back is against the wall, we play our best baseball. We always have. And it's a testament to those guys.

*Jeremy Pena went hitless for just the second time in 17 career postseason games. 

*Bryan Abreu: 1IP, 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB. 

Bryan Abreu since July 18: 31IP, 13H/0ER, 41K:13BB

*Ryan Pressly: 1IP, 0H/0ER, 3K:0BB.

Pressly, postseason career (all with Houston): 40.2IP, 30H/11ER, 53K:12BB. 2.43 ERA/1.03 WHIP.

Pressly last gave up an earned run in the postseason in 2021 ALCS G1. In the 17 postseason games since: 18.2IP, 6H/0ER, 28K:5BB. 0.00 ERA / 0.59 WHIP.

*Correa, on Maldonado:

He knows what he's doing behind the plate, and he knows every hitter's weaknesses and he's going to try to exploit. He pitches against the xSLG...and we knew it, and still it was hard to make the adjustments, the way he was pitching backwards. Hitters counts, he would go off-speed, and then a count where he would go off-speed regularly, he would go fastballs up. 

*Verlander, on the Astros' culture: 

There's been a culture established here that hasn't faded away. It's still very present, and that's a testament to the guys that were here before and the guys that remain here and the guys that are leaders of this ballclub. They don't allow slacking off, but they do it in a respectful manner. They expect the best of everyone because they're giving their best every single day. What a great way to lead by example. I think our culture is something not tangible. Funny that one (for) one of the most analytic-forward teams in baseball, something that makes this team so special is something that's not measurable. 

*Jeff Passan:

For seven years - one short of Atlanta's record eight-straight championship series appearances - the Astros have managed to win at least one playoff series. And as dissatisfying as that might be for those who harbor resentment against the organizaiton for its cheating in 2017, anyone who refuses to acknowledge the Astros' exceptional staying power is just willfully ignorant.

*FanGraphs: Houston 60.9 - 30.1 Six Flags

Other Stuff:

*100-win teams (Baltimore, Atlanta, Los Angeles), 2023 postseason: 1-8.

Pretty sweet to watch the Astros clinch the ALDS and then turn it over to watch the Dloldgers get swept by a team that went 5-8 against them in the regular season. The Dodgers are the second team in MLB history to win 100 games in the regular season and never even hold a lead in the postseason. The Bastard Dave Roberts:

There's some things with the format that people can dissect or whatever, but the bottom line is we've gotten outplayed in the postseason. 

Read every single word above this section to see why maybe the playoff format isn't the reason. 

Dodgers, regular season, 2018-2023: 558-313 (.641)

Dodgers, postseason, 2018-2023: 30-28 (.517)

Or, Dodgers, postseason, non Mickey Mouse years (2018-19, 2021-23): 17-23 (.425)

*Jay Jaffe: Dodgers take another early exit from the postseason tournament.

*London to Norman: Inside one recruit's 5,000 mile official visit

*Respect to The Ringer for not having a single solitary baseball article on the front page of their website. 

*The radical empathy of Jason Isbell.

What To Watch, October 12:

1:45pm Central: UEFA Euro Qualifying - Scotland @ Spain

3:30pm: CONMEBOL Qualifying - Uruguay @ Peru

7:00pm: Rockets @ Pelicans 

7:07pm: Braves @ Phillies

*How Braves-Phillies became Baseball's Best Rivalry.

*A Musical Selection:

Sunday Morning Hot Links

The Astros enjoyed OktOBERfest haha got em. Hector Neris made it interesting, but the Astros go to Game 2 of the ALDS with a 1-0 lead for the 8th time since 2015, and the 7th straight time from 2017-2023. Houston is 22-7 in the ALDS since the beginning of the 2015 postseason (20-4 since 2017).

*Jose Altuve hit a first-pitch homer to open the game. It's his 24th postseason home run. He needs five more to tie Manny Ramirez for the most in MLB history. It was also his first postseason homer since 2021 World Series G4 - a span of 13 postseason games. 

Altuve RBI, 2022 Postseason: 0

Altuve RBI, 2023 Postseason (so far): 1

Houston Astros with a leadoff postseason home run:

Jose Altuve, G1 2023 ALDS

George Springer, G5 2020 ALCS

Craig Biggio, G7 2004 NLCS

*Justin Verlander is now tied for 2nd all-time with 35 postseason starts. He started Game 1 for an MLB-record 13th time. 

Verlander needed 23 pitches to get out of a (scoreless) 1st Inning. He only had three innings as an Astro in 2023 where he threw more: 2nd Inning September 30, 2nd Inning August 27, and 2nd Inning August 11. He took a little while to settle in:

1st Inning: 23 pitches, 0H/0ER, 0K:2BB

2nd Inning: 13 pitches, 2H/0ER, 0K:0BB

3rd Inning: 19 pitches, 1H/0ER, 1K:0BB

4th Inning: 10 pitches, 0H/0ER, 1K:0BB

5th Inning: 13 pitches, 0H/0ER, 2K:0BB, HBP

6th Inning: 15 pitches, 0H/0ER, 1K:1BB

Verlander got two GIDPs in the first two innings, the most he's induced in a game since May 10, 2022 against...the Twins. It's just the 27th time in his career he's gotten two GIDPs in a start, playoffs included, and the 3rd time he's gotten two GIDPs in a postseason outing. G1 was his 545th career MLB start. 

Dusty, on Verlander:

Early, he was forcing his breaking ball...he couldn't get it over. He got in trouble a couple times early, but if you don't get to JV early, he usually finds his groove.

Postseason Wins, MLB Career:

1. Andy Pettitte: 19

2. Justin Verlander: 17

3. John Smoltz: 15

4. Tom Glavine: 14

5. Clayton Kershaw: 13

Verlander, regular season career: 18 seasons, 257-141, 3342K:925BB, 3.24 ERA / 1.12 WHIP

Kershaw, regular season career: 16 seasons, 210-92, 2944K:669BB, 2.48 ERA / 1.00 WHIP

Verlander, postseason career: 36 appearances, 17-11, 236K:71BB, 3.54 ERA / 1.11 WHIP 

Kershaw, postseason career: 39 appearances, 13-13, 213K:51BB, 4.49 ERA / 1.11 WHIP

Verlander:

It's been a whirlwind of a year, season for me. To find myself back here in Houston and pitching in the playoffs is not something I foresaw, but happy to be here, happy to help contribute, and happy to be in the playoffs.

*Jeremy Pena was 1x4. He has at least one hit in 13 of his 14 career postseason games. 

*Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run homer in the 3rd, the 7th postseason home run of his career, and the second consecutive postseason game with a home run, going back to the when he turned the game upside-down in G6 of the 2022 World Series. Yordan has at least one RBI in four straight postseason games. 

Worth mentioning that Yordan Alvarez has 199 career post-season plate appearances, and just one GIDP. 

2+ HR games, postseason, Astros history:

Jose Altuve: 3 - G1 2017 ALDS

Yordan Alvarez: 2 - G1 2023 ALDS

Kyle Tucker: 2 - G1 2022 World Series

Michael Brantley: 2 - G4 2020 ALDS (somehow I have zero recollection of this)

George Springer: 2 - G2 2020 ALDS

Carlos Correa: 2 - G1 2020 ALDS

George Springer: 2 - G3 2018 ALDS

Carlos Correa: 2 - G4 2015 ALDS

Carlos Beltran: 2 - G5 2004 NLDS

Yordan:

When I go up there, I try not to think about the situation, try not to think about the noise. Just say to myself, 'I'm the only one that can get the job done at this moment.

Dubon, on Yordan:

It's not easy to face him in general. You have no idea what he's going to do. He can hit a ball out dead center 460 feet or he's on his front foor and (hitting) it out 400 feet. Pick your poison - what do you want?

Twins pitcher Caleb Thielbar had not allowed a home run to a lefty all season. Lefties big, righties small...Yordan hits them all.

*FanGraphs: Behind Verlander's arm, and Yordan's bat, the Astros snatch Game 1. 

*Jose Abreu now has at least one RBI in five of his career eight postseason games. The Athletic: A healthy Jose Abreu now has a clean slate in front of him.

*Hector Neris had not allowed a home run since August 14. So of course he gave up a 3-run shot to make it 5-3 Astros in the 7th and then another one a batter later to make it 5-4. Neris had only given up two homers in a game five times previously in his career. The last time he gave up multiple homers was June 29, 2018. 

Neris, 2022 postseason: 6IP, 2H/1ER, 9K:0BB

Neris, 2023 postseason; 0.2IP, 3H/4ER, 2K:0BB, HBP

*The Astros were 2x10 w/RISP, the Twins were 1x12 w/RISP.

*Kendall Graveman was left off the ALDS Roster because he is literally butthurt. 

*It was the 48th time the Astros have won a postseason game with Carlos Correa in uniform:

Wins with Correa as an Astro: 47

Wins with Correa as a Twin: 1

Elsewhere in the playoffs:

Rangers 3 - 2 Orioles. FanGraphs has it: Rangers 72.6 - 27.4 Orioles

Phillies 3 - 0 Braves. FanGraphs: Phillies 59.9 - 40.1 Braves 

D'Backs 11 - 2 Dodgers. FanGraphs: D'Backs 61.7 - 38.3 Dodgers

Other Stuff

*Two climbers were stranded on a big wall. An iPhone saved the day.

*A 1994 UFO sighting changed lives. What if this guy made it up? 

*The Struggle Is Awesome. 

What To Watch, October 8:

Roma @ Cagliari: 11am Central

Texans @ Falcons: 12pm 

Barcelona @ Grenada: 2pm

Rangers @ Orioles: 3:07pm

Twins @ Astros, 7:03pm

*A Musical Selection:

Thursday Night Hot Links

Doing this tonight so I have time to do something else in the morning. Nothing has changed in the FanGraphs Playoff Odds. Here's what else is going on in and around the Astros...

*Justin Verlander will start Game 1 on Saturday at 3:45pm, Framber Valdez will start Game 2 on Sunday at 7:03pm. We don't know who starts Game 3, but it will be Tuesday in Minneapolis at 3:07pm.

Verlander, career, ALDS Game 1: 23.1IP, 21H/12ER, 25K:11BB

This is clouded, somewhat, by his 2022 ALDS G1, in which he gave up 10H/6ER, 3K:1BB in 4IP against Seattle - the game that Yordan walked off when the Mariners hilariously threw Robbie Ray. 

*Dusty, on Minnesota:

Nobody gave them a chance to beat Toronto, I don't think. They've got good pitching, they've got good defense, they've got a number of left-handed hitters, which poses a problem. They've got a good manager. I mean, they're a good team.

*The Chronicle's Matt Kawahara has a good piece on the Astros' ALDS roster decisions, which have to be finalized Saturday morning,

*Chandler Rome's Notes Column in The Athletic runs down the following:

-Michael Brantley is available for the ALDS

-Get ready to watch a lot of Yainer Diaz on the bench in the ALDS

-Jose Urquidy will shift to the bullpen, which pretty much ensures Cristian Javier will start Game 3. 

-There will be some promotions in the front office this offseason

*Dusty Baker would very much like everyone at MMP to be quite loud.

*Here is MLB.com's position-by-position breakdown between the Astros and Twins.

*Hector Neris has been fined for his actions "against" Julio Rodriguez, but he won't be suspended.

*FanGraphs: The 30/30 Season That Wasn't, Then Was, Then Wasn't (And Still May Be)

*A former Astros video room employee answered questions on Reddit about the Ben Reiter doc on PBS.

*Minnesota's Byron Buxton and Nick Gordon are enjoying the Twins' ride, despite just sitting there wanting to play. Click the link for other notes from Minneapolis. 

*Former Blue Jays Manager John Gibbons STFU Challenge.

*ESPN: Which impending free agents have made - or lost - the most money in the playoffs so far?

*The Mets and the very-recently-resigned Billy Eppler are under investigation for abusing IL rules.

*Jose Altuve, by postseason series, career:

2015 AL Wild Card vs New York: .250/.250/.250, 1RBI, 1K:0BB

2015 ALDS vs Kansas City: .136/.174/.136, 1RBI, 2K:1BB

2017 ALDS vs Boston: .533/.632/1.133, 3HR/4RBI, 2K:4BB

2017 ALCS vs New York: .320/.414/.560, 2HR/4RBI, 5K:4BB

2017 World Series vs Los Angeles: .194/.219/.452, 2HR/6RBI, 7K:1BB

2018 ALDS vs Cleveland: .286/.286/.571, 1HR/2RBI, 2K:0BB

2018 ALCS vs Boston: .250/.348/.300, 2RBI, 4K:3BB

2019 ALDS vs Tampa: .350/.381/.900, 3HR/5RBI, 3K:1BB

2019 ALCS vs New York: .348/.444/.652, 2HR/3RBI, 1K:4BB

2019 World Series vs Washington: .303/.294/.394, 1RBI, 3K:0BB

2020 Wild Card vs Minnesota: .000/.222/.000, 1RBI, 0K:2BB

2020 ALDS vs Oakland: .400/.526/.800, 2HR/5RBI, 3K:3BB

2020 ALCS vs Tampa: .462/.563/.885, 3HR/5RBI, 5K:6BB

2021 ALDS vs Chicago: .313/.476/.625, 1HR/3RBI, 5K:4BB

2021 ALCS vs Boston: .125/.214/.375, 2HR/4RBI, 3K:3BB

2021 World Series vs Atlanta: .222/.250/.482, 2HR/2RBI, 9K:1BB

2022 ALDS vs Seattle: .000/.059/.000, 6K:1BB

2022 ALCS vs New York: .188/.278/.250, 5K:2BB

2022 World Series vs Philadelphia: .308/.333/.385, 3K:1BB

*Astros Postseason Record When Altuve Gets...

0 Hits: 13-16

1 Hit: 21-11

2 Hits: 16-6

3 Hits: 6-3

*Astros Postseason Record When Altuve Homers: 16-5

*Most Career Postseason Home Runs, MLB History:

1. Manny Ramirez: 29

2. Jose Altuve: 23

3. Bernie Williams: 22

4. Derek Jeter: 20

5. Albert Pujols / George Springer: 19

7. Carlos Correa / Nelson Cruz / Reggie Jackson / Mickey Mantle: 18

*Esquire: The Scout Who Found Patrick Mahomes

*The Ringer: Inside the Ugly Standoff Between James Harden and Daryl Morey.

*Rolling Stone: The 50 Best Latin American Rock Albums

*In the wake of Kevin McCarthy's historic ousting as Speaker of the House of Representatives, I took a look at the last time the House tried to body-check the Speaker (all the way back in 1910).

*A Musical Selection:

Sunday Morning Clinchin' Hot Links

The Astros do not care for Making It Easy. Houston wins 1-0 to clinch at least a playoff spot. A win today combined with a Ramger loss gives Houston the division, though we'll talk in a few minutes about whether or not that's something you want. Houston is 89-72. There is one game remaining in the 2023 regular season.

*AL Playoff Picture

1. Baltimore (101-60)

2. Six Flags (90-71)

3. Minnesota (87-74)

4. Tampa (98-63)

5. Toronto (89-72)

6. Houston (89-72)

7. Seattle (87-74)

So the permutations for the Astros for G162 are as such:

HOU win + 6FL loss = AL West Title

HOU win + 6FL win + TOR win = 3rd Wild Card

HOU win + 6FL win + TOR loss = 2nd Wild Card

3rd Wild Card is a matchup against Minnesota

2nd Wild Card is a matchup against Tampa.

Houston is -178 in the Money Line, Seattle is -120 today.

*AL West Odds / Postseason Odds:

FanGraphs:

Six Flags: 71.6% to win AL West / 100.0% to make playoffs

Houston: 28.4% to win AL West / 100.0% to make playoffs

Seattle: 0.0% to win AL West / 0.0% to make playoffs

Baseball-Reference:

Six Flags: 69.6% to win AL West

Houston: 30.4% to win AL West

*If you just took the teams with the six best records in the AL, Seattle and Minnesota would be tied at 87-74 with one game to play. Instead, Minnesota has locked up the #3 spot and Seattle is cleaning out Layne Staley shrines in their lockers today. 

*Here's what we know about the Postseason Matchups:

1. Baltimore will have a Wild Card round bye.

2. Tampa will host the Wild Card Round against the #5 team. 

3. Minnesota will host the Wild Card Round against the #6 team.

The Wild Card Round starts Tuesday. The Division Series starts Saturday. 

In the NL, Atlanta and Los Angeles have clinched 1st Round byes. Milwaukee has clinched the #3 spot. 

*Houston is going to the postseason for the 7th year in a row. Franchises to make the postseason 7+ years in a row:

New York Yankees: 13 (1995-2007)

Los Angeles Dodgers: 11 (2013-2023)

Atlanta: 11 (1995-2005)

Houston: 7 (2017-2023)

MLB: How the Astros got to the 2023 Postseason.

Chandler Rome: The Astros' celebration after last night's game was muted. The ragers are reserved for something else...which could come today. Verlander:

The celebration was a bit muted. Keep your eye on the prize. 

*The Astros have won three straight games for the first time since sweeping the Ramgers from Sept 4-6. 

*It's the Astros' 2nd 1-0 win of the season, the first being against Tampa on April 26.

*The Astros have won back-to-back games scoring a total of three runs. It's the fewest total of runs scored in back-to-back wins since the Astros won 2-0 at CitiField on June 30 and 2-1 against the Yankees on July 1, 2022. 

After what was a far lengthier and more exhaustive search than I had imagined due, in part, to both myself and B-Ref forgetting my Username/Password, the last time the Astros won back-to-back games scoring a total of three or fewer runs was June 20/21, 1992, when they beat the Dodgers 1-0 and 2-0.

*Houston was 1x8 w/RISP. 

*Jose Abreu had the game-winning RBI off a double - it's the second game in a row that Abreu has driven in all of the Astros' runs. Abreu has a three-game RBI streak. In September, Jose Abreu has 26 RBI in 25 games.

*Alex Bregman enjoyed hisself a double - his first extra-base hit since hitting a home run on September 19. Bregman is hitting .232/.348/.343 in September.

*Justin Verlander recorded his 3,342nd career strikeout last night, tying him with Phil Niekro for 12th all-time. He's 25 short of Max Scherzer for 11th, and 29 short of Greg Maddux for 10th. Verlander, on last night's start:

Five innings is not what I consider a job well done. I'd like to have gone deeper, but to hand it over to the bullpen tonight and have them perform the way they do, Hector stepping up was absolutely huge, it makes it easier on us starters.

*Kendall Graveman has a 2.45 ERA with Houston on a 4.89 FIP. Out of 163 qualified relievers, the -1.73 difference from ERA (3.12) to FIP (4.89) is the 159th luckiest. Hector Neris ranks 162nd with a -2.12 ERA-FIP.

Graveman has pitched in 23 games for the 2023 Astros. He has allowed at least one baserunner in 20 of those appearances. He hasn't thrown a clean inning (no hits, no walks) since August 26 - a span of 11 games. 

*And speaking of Hector "Los Cojones Grandes" Neris, he threw 1.2IP of hitless/scoreless relief, getting out of a Graveman-induced jam to preserve the narrowest of leads. It's his longest outing of the season since getting six outs on April 3. Neris has allowed one earned run since August 19 - a span of 17.2IP. 

*Bryan Abreu got the save last night, extending his scoreless outing streak to 27 games, tied with Joe Sambito for the 3rd-longest in Astros history, only behind Ryan Pressly (40 games), and Ryne Stanek (30 games). 

*Kyle Tucker, who has hit three home runs in September, needs a home run today for a 30/30 season. 

*J.P. France wasn't available to pitch on Friday because his wife was dehydrated and in the ER. I've been there. It's terrifying.

*Get ready to figure out if you'll be able to stream from Space City Home Network.

*Roger Clemens talked about his World Series showdown vs Miguel Cabrera.

*Big strong boy Cal Raleigh is pissed about the Mariners missing the postseason for the 21st time in the last 22 seasons. The Frisch's Big Boy:

We've got to commit to winning. We have to commit to going and getting those players. You see other teams going out, going for it, getting big-time pitchers, getting big-time hitters. We have to do that to keep up. 

Seattle's last ten games were against the Astros and Rangers. In the nine that have been played, they went 3-6. That's not going 2-7 against the MF A's and GD Royals, but it's close. General Manager Jerry Dipoto has already traded a $1 bill for a Reese's Pieces. The plan has been initiated. 

*Liverpool was denied a game-changing goal in the most hilariously VAR way possible. Jurgen Klopp is pissed, understandably.

*What To Watch, October 1:

Rays @ Blue Jays: 2:07pm Central

Astros @ Diamondbacks: 2:10pm 

Rangers @ Mariners: 2:10pm. Dane Dunning will start on short rest against George "No Mames" Kirby.

*I'm reading "Wanderers" by Chuck Wendig and hooboy...

*When Gordie Howe turned Houston into "Howeston."

*A Musical Selection:

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

Fresh off of getting swept by the GDKC Royals, the Astros got a vintage Verlander performance last night in Seattle. Houston is 86-71, 2.5 back of The Colony, 1.5 up on Seattle. There are five games remaining in the regular season.

*AL Playoff Picture:

1. Baltimore (97-59)

2. The Colony (88-68)

3. Minnesota (83-73)

4. Tampa (95-62)

5. Toronto (87-69)

6. Houston (86-71)

7. Seattle (84-72)

*AL West Division Odds / Postseason Odds:

FanGraphs:

The Colony: 86.7% / 98.7%

 

Houston: 10.9% / 75.3%

Seattle: 2.4% / 28.4%

Baseball-Reference:

The Colony: 83.5% / 98.3%

Houston: 11.7% / 76.7%

Seattle: 4.8% / 26.4% 

Keep in mind: The Astros have the tie-breaker against the Rangers. So in order for the Astros to win the Division, they would need to match the Rangers' record. You can safely assume that the Anaheim Possums are going to do exactly that, so the Mariners are going to have to do something in the last series of the season, and the Astros can't afford to...be the 2023 Astros. 

Houston is 2.5 back of The Colony. If the Astros just win out, it puts them at 91-71. The Rangers would have to go 4-2 to finish a game ahead of Houston. If the Astros go 4-1, the Rangers would have to go 3-3. It's a tough, uphill battle. Unless! the Astros actually want the Wild Card, in which case they'd get the advantage of not playing at home, but also getting the Twins and not the Rays. Chess, not checkers?

After a 21-6 August, the Mariners are 8-15 in September. They're 5-15 against teams not named "Oakland" in September. 

The Game

Dusty:

It's one. We got five to go. Hopefully, we come back out tomorrow and do the same thing.

*Houston "improved" to 3-8 against Seattle in 2023. The Astros are 57-33 (.633) all-time at Seattle.

*Houston is 61-22 when scoring first in 2023.  

*Verlander did what they brought him back to do: 8IP, 3H/1ER, 8K:1BB. And on only 96 pitches, 65 of which he threw for strikes. It's the 56th time in his career that he's gotten 24 outs and allowed only an earned run (or less) - the 12th time he's done it for the Astros. 

Opponents who have gotten shut down to the tune of at least 8IP of 0-1ER baseball by Verlander, career:

1: Arizona/Houston/Milwaukee/NY Mets/Philadelphia/The Colony

2: Kansas City/NY Yankees/Pittsburgh/Tampa/Toronto

3: Baltimore/Boston/Oakland

4: Seattle

5: Cleveland

6: Anaheim

7: Chicago White Sox/Minnesota

Verlander:

This is just one of those years where nothing has been easy. Maybe catch the right timing here and this can be the start of something, hopefully.

Alvarez, on Verlander:

Incredible. That's obviously what this team needed. He knew that, and going out there and putting the team in that type of position was great.

*A Full and Complete List of Astros Starting Pitchers to throw 8IP+ in 2023:

Framber Valdez: 4

Justin Verlander: 1

It's the first time an Astros starter has recorded 24 outs since Framber's no-hitter on August 1. Verlander's 79 Game Score is the highest by an Astros starter since Framber's 78 on August 25. 

It was Verlander's 256th career win, by far the most by an active pitcher (Zack Greinke's 224 is 2nd). He's tied for 42nd all-time with Former Astros Great Andy Pettitte. 264 wins gets him in the Top 40 all-time.

*Bryan Abreu closed out the 9th with a scoreless inning. That is now 25 straight scoreless outings for Bryan Abreu, dating back to July 15. Only six pitchers have a 25+ game scoreless streak for the Astros:

1. Ryan Pressly: 40 games (Aug 15, 2018-May 20, 2019)

2. Ryne Stanek: 30 games (Apr 29-July 22, 2022)

3. Joe Sambio: 27 games (May 3-July 14, 1979)

4. Will Harris: 26 games (April 9-June 8, 2016)

5. Billy Wagner: 25 games (Aug 13, 1999-April 16, 2000)

5. Bryan Abreu: 25 games (July 18, 2023-present)

It's the longest active streak in the Majors, and only two other pitchers have managed to throw at least 25 consecutive scoreless outings: Cleveland's Sam Hentges, who saw his 25-game scoreless streak end on September 24; and San Diego's Josh Hader, whose 26-game scoreless streak ended on August 29. 

*The 107 pitches thrown in a 9-inning game by Verlander/Abreu are the 4th-lowest pitch total by the Astros in 2023. 

*It's the 36th time in 2023 that Astros pitchers have held their opponent to 0-1BB. They're 19-17 in those games...somehow.

*Yordan Alvarez was 2x4 with his 30th home run of the season. It's the third season in a row Yordan has hit 30+ homers. 

Three or More Consecutive Seasons of 30+ Homers, Astros history:

8: Jeff Bagwell (1996-2003)

3: Yordan Alvarez (2021-2023)

That's it. Kyle Tucker needs one more home run to join this list.

*Alex Bregman was 0x5. He's now gone five straight games without a hit, hitless in seven of his last eight. His five-game hitless streak ties a career-high, set in 2021 and 2016. Since his 3-hit game against Kansas City on September 16, Bregman has one hit in his last 28 Plate Appearances, but with 3K:9BB. The Astros are 28-31 when Bregman does not get a hit. 

*Martin Maldonado was 2x3 with a walk - his 15th multi-hit game of the season. He raised his OPS from .601 to .612 last night. 

*Mauricio Dubon opened the scoring with a base hit to score Jose Abreu, who ran 270 feet like a big boy. Alvarez, on Dubon's hit:

Very big. Having the runner on third there with nobody out and then having two outs, getting him in, I think, gave the team second wind. So it was very big to get it all started.

Other Stuff

*Ronel Blanco and Will Wagner were named the PCL's Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively.

*The Beatles' "Abbey Road" was released in the UK 54 years ago today.

*Imagine giving any kind of shit about who Travis Kelce is dating.

*This is the most affordable mountain town in the West.

*How Jason Isbell finished his degree at the University of Memphis.

*Austria Salzburg vs. Red Bull Salzburg: A Derby 18 years in the making.

*Frank Lloyd Wright designed one theatre. Fkn Dallas let it fall into disrepair.

*What To Watch, September 26:

Carabao Cup: Crystal Palace @ Manchester United: 2pm Central

Rangers @ Useless-Ass Angels: 8:38pm 

Astros @ Mariners: 9:05pm

*A Musical Selection:

Thursday Morning Hot Links

They did it. They eclipsed the 2017 Harvey Revenge Series, beating the absolute piss out of the Pride-less Rangers in three straight games. Houston is 80-61, the first AL West team to reach 80 wins (an accomplishment the 2023 A's should achieve no later than July 2024). 

*The Astros have won eight of their last eleven games. They're 20-8 in road games since the All-Star Break. The last MLB team to score 39+ runs in three consecutive games was...the Houston Astros, all the way back from August 26-28, 2023. 

*10.3% of the Rangers' home losses in 2023 came in the last 72 hours. Dusty:

It really wasn't about making a statement. It was more about winning games and trying to get into first place. You love to see your offense come alive like that. We got some good pitching performances. We played an excellent series.

Bruce Bochy:

Obviously, it was not a good series, wasn't a lot we did well. We just didn't execute pitches, left a lot up throughout the series and we paid for it...They put it to us, and there's no getting around that. 

The Rangers had never given up 16+ home runs in a three-game span before. 

*AL Playoff Picture:

1. Baltimore (88-51)

2. Houston (80-61)

3. Minnesota (73-67)

4. Tampa (85-55)

5. Seattle (78-61)

6. Toronto (77-63)

- 

7. Pantego +0.5 (76-63)

8. Boston +5.0 (72-68)

If MLB just seeded the teams with the six best records in the AL, Minnesota would be 3.5 games back of Pantego, in 8th. 

*AL West Odds (and change since yesterday):

FanGraphs:

Houston: 67.2% (+2.7%)

Seattle: 28.3% (+1.9%)

Pantego: 4.5% (-4.6%)

Baseball-Reference:

Houston: 67.9% (+6.0%)

Seattle: 25.8% (-0.8%)

Pantego: 6.3% (-5.2%)

The Game

The Astros eclipsed the Harvey Revenge Series of September 2017. In that series, the Astros collected 37 runs on 46 hits - 11 doubles and six home runs. This series, the Astros collected 39 runs on 50 hits - seven doubles and 16 home runs.

The 16 home runs in three games are the 2nd-most in a 3-game span in MLB history, behind the 19 that the 2020 Yankees hit against Toronto in September 2020. Only four other teams hit 16 home runs in a three-game series: the 2023 Astros (just now), the 2019 Nationals, 2019 Yankees, and 1977 Red Sox. The 2023 Astros and 2019 Yankees were the only ones to do it on the road against the same opponent. 

*Most runs in a game, single-team, Globe Life Field's history:

1. 18 - by Pantego vs Oakland: Apr 22, 2023

2. 16 - by Pantego vs Philadelphia: April 1, 2023; by Pantego vs Seattle: June 3, 2023; by Los Angeles vs Pantego, July 22, 2023; 

5. 15 - by Pantego vs New York, April 30, 2023; by Houston vs Pantego, September 13, 2021

7. 14 - by Houston vs Pantego, Sept. 4, 2023; by Oakland vs Pantego, July 12, 2022; by San Diego vs Pantego, August 17, 2020.

10. 13 - by Houston vs Pantego, Sept. 5, 2023; by Pantego vs Colorado, May 21, 2023; by Pantego vs Houston, August 29, 2021; by Oakland by Pantego, June 22, 2021. 

*Jose Abreu was 2x3 with a grand slam and a 3-run homer. The three-run shot left his bat at 113.3mph, his hardest-hit ball of 2023. His 7RBI tie a career-high, also set at Minnesota on September 4, 2016 and against Detroit on September 12, 2020. It's the 20th multi-HR game of his career. Abreu:

If there's one person here that gets impressed by what this team can do, it's me because I'm new here. I think that this organization, these guys, when the lights are shining bright, they know how to handle things, they know how to do things well. I'm just very grateful to be part of this, as well. 

*Yordan Alvarez was 1x3 with 2BB, 2RBI, and his 25th homer of the year. Since the beginning of the 2021 season, Yordan is hitting a home run every 16.5 Plate Appearances.

*Michael Brantley was 2x3 with a homer and 2RBI. Brantley has played in six games in 2023, three of them have been 2-hit games. 

*Chas McCormick managed to talk his way into a PA in a blowout and responded by hitting his 20th home run of the season. He had an RBI in all three games of the Rangers series. McCormick has an eight-game hit streak in which he's hitting .375/.432/.563. He has a hit in 10 of his last 11 games. 

Chas McCormick has 384 PAs. Only four centerfielders have a higher fWAR than McCormick's 3.8 fWAR:

1. Julio Rodriguez: 5.5 fWAR (612 PAs).

2. Corbin Carroll: 5.2 fWAR (552 PAs).

3. Luis Robert, Jr.: 5.1 fWAR (538 PAs).

4. Cody Bellinger: 4.2 fWAR (463 PAs).

Chas McCormick leads all MLB CFs with a 147 wRC+. Please find a way to play this man every day.

*Jeremy Pena was 2x6 with a double. It's his 4th straight multi-hit game. Since August 1, Pena is hitting .339/.413/.449.

*Justin Verlander: 7IP, 4H/2R (1ER), 6K:1BB. It's the 133rd start of Verlander's career in which he has thrown at least 7IP and been charged with 0-1 Earned Runs. It's the 31st time he's done it in an Astros jersey. Verlander:

As a starting pitcher, your job is to carry the momentum. Our offense made it pretty easy on us this series. 

Verlander vs. Scherzer last night was the first time that opposing starting pitchers had 3,000 career strikeouts since Schilling vs Clemens on September 16, 2007.

Other Stuff

*Chandler Rome has a pretty electrifying piece in The Athletic, in which it is learned that the front office shares the fans' frustration with the number of Chas-less lineups. Rome:

This week, four people with knowledge of the team's inner workings said that McCormick's weight has become a talking point for Baker. 

Chas:

I like being this heavy. I guess if I was a little lighter it'd be easier, bit easier to move a little bitter. I feel stronger. I feel healthier. I feel I can do more being at 220. Usually I'm at 216. When I'm 210, I'm too light. I was 214 last year, I think, and I felt too light again. I kind of like being where I'm at right now, at 220. 

It's weird. 

*The Ringer: The AL West is MLB's last great hope for an interesting division race.

*Check out this rundown of the Astros' farm system, on ApolloHOU.

*MLB.com's "One Player On Each Team With Something To Prove in 2023" features Cristian Javier.

*Washington Post: The biggest match-fixing network in Tennis is out of an apartment in Brussels.

*The Guardian: The Inside Story of the Unravelling of Liz Truss' Premiership.

*Outside: Walking in the Footsteps of Legends: 10 Amazing Historical Hikes.

What To Watch, September 7, 2023:

The Astros and Rangers are off.

Euro 2024 Qualifying: Ireland at France: 1:45pm Central.

Mariners @ Rays: 5:40pm Central

Murray State @ Louisville: 6:30pm Central

*A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

The Astros "returned" from a road trip, sadly, and were forced to play in front of 40,000 of their own fans last night. Stupid Manfred. Bad Manfred. Houston lost to the Yankees at Minute Maid Park for the first time since July 10, 2021. The Astros are 77-59, and are 35-32 at "home." 

*The "Good News" is that the Mariners and Rangers both lost. It's the second time since the All-Star Break that all three AL West teams (there are two AL West JV teams in the division, as well) lost on the same day. 

*Here's the AL Playoff Picture going into Partidos de 2 Septiembre:

1. Baltimore (83-51)

2. Seattle (76-58)

3. Cleveland (70-65)

4. Tampa (82-53): +6.5

5. Houston (77-59): +1.0

6. East Benbrook (75-59): -

7. Toronto (74-61): -1.5

8. Boston (69-66): -6.5

*Unfortunately, we're Scoreboard and Playoff Odds watching all month. Odds to win the division:

FanGraphs (and the change from yesterday):

Houston: 52.4% (-0.0%)

Seattle: 33.1% (-0.0%)

East Benbrook: 14.5% (-0.1%)

Baseball-Reference (and the change from yesterday):

Houston: 43.9% (-1.8%)

Seattle: 36.6% (-1.8%)

East Benbrook: 19.5% (-7.8%)

The Game

*The Astros, according to Win Expectancy, were never favored to win last night's game.

*Justin Verlander was Efficiently Bad, only needing 88 pitches to give up 8 hits - four of them home runs - and 6ER in 6IP. He had allowed 9ER in his previous five starts as an Astro. It's the fifth time in his career, and his third time as an Astro, that Verlander allowed four home runs in a single game.

He allowed two home runs in the first inning, the second time this season he's allowed 2HR in the same inning (his season debut - May 4 - was the first time).

*Astros pitchers only needed 112 pitches total to lose to the Yankees, tied for the 7th-fewest number of pitches to get 27 outs in 2023. Houston is 5-3 when throwing 112 or fewer pitches.

*There were 11 balls put in play with an Exit Velocity over 100mph: eight for the Yankees, three for the Astros (Diaz's single, Abreu's homer, Tucker's double).

*The offense didn't do much, collecting just four hits - three of them for extra bases. 

*Houston's offense at home, 2023: 67 games, .252/.327/.411, 76 home runs, .737 OPS.

Houston's offense on the road, 2023: 69 games, .261/.332/.442, 102 home runs, .775 OPS.

*Jose Altuve forgot that there was a piece of equipment available that guarded your shins, fouled a ball off of it (for apparently the umpteenth time this season!), and left the game. Mauricio Dubon was 0x3 as his replacement.

*Jake Meyers was 0x3. Since the All-Star Break, Meyers (30 games, 22 starts): .238/.281/.405. Since his 2HR game at Yankee Stadium on August 6: 45 PAs, .186/.222/.233.

Meyers vs LHP, 2023: 76 PAs, .269/.355/.463.

Chas McCormick since the All-Star Break (40 games, 39 starts): .309/.393/.571.

McCormick vs LHP, 2023: 112 PAs, .356/.420/.663.

I had an idea of what I'd find when I looked that up, but Holy God starting Jake Meyers over McCormick, for any reason, is indefensible. Unless Chas is hurt, I guess. And then I'd want to know what hurt. 

*Since coming off the IL, Jose Abreu is hitting .292/.370/.583, with hits in five of the six games in which he has appeared.

*Kendall Graveman is feeling better.

*Rafael Montero is regaining the Astros' trust.

*Boston lost to Kansas City 13-2. The Fightin' Coras have now allowed 7+ runs for the fourth straight game, the first three coming against the Houston MF Astros. The Red Sox let Former Astros Great Jordan Lyles throw 8IP, 4H/2ER, 7K:0BB and improving his 2023 ERA from 6.51 to 6.29. Since August 26 Boston's chances of making the playoffs have slipped from 16.7% to 3.2%. Unlucky. Alex Cora is a piece of shit.

*Michael Clair: The baseball game that never ends - on purpose and for charity.

*Texas Monthly: A Cheat Sheet to Ken Paxton's Impeachment Trial.

*The fruits that are rich in antioxidants.

What To Watch, 2 September:

Arkansas State @ Oklahoma: 11am Central (ESPN)

Newcastle @ Brighton: 11:30am

Rice @ Texas: 2:30pm (ABC)

New Mexico @ Texas A&M: 6pm (ESPN)

UTSA @ UH: 6pm (FS1)

Yankees @ Astros: 6:10pm 

Mariners @ Mets: 6:10pm 

Twins @ Rangers: 6:15pm (Fox)

Blue Jays @ Rockies: 7:10pm

Sam Houston State @ BYU: 9:15pm (FS1)

*A Musical Selection:

Sunday Morning Hot Links

The Astros' top of the lineup showed up while the bottom of the lineup took the night off (a reverse from Friday night), and the Astros beat the Angels 11-3. Houston is 68-50. Obviously the Rangers won, so Houston remains 2.5 back.

*Houston is 8-3 at Minute Maid Park since the All-Star Break.

*The Astros got 13 hits last night, giving them 10+ hits in five straight games - the longest streak this season, and the longest since a five-game streak from June 6-11, 2021. As a franchise, the Astros have only enjoyed 10+ hits in at least six straight games 16 times, the last being April 19-24, 2019. The longest streak of 10+ hits in franchise history is eight games, most recently set June 10-18, 2018. 

*Houston is 6-5 in games after scoring 10+ runs. 

*The Astros were 7x10 with runners in scoring position last night. That's, like, a lot, and stuff. 

*Jose Altuve was 3x4 with a walk and an RBI. He's at 1993 hits, which [counts fingers] leaves him seven short of 2,000. Since the beginning of the 2021 season, Altuve has a .293 batting average (383 hits in 1309 ABs). At that clip, he would get 1007 hits in his 3445th AB, around seven seasons from now, when Altuve would be in his Age 40 season. It's doable, but it'll require being healthy.

*Kyle Tucker was 3x4 with a walk, homer, and 4RBI. It's his first 3-hit game since July 21 and his 10th of the season. The walk was his 58th of 2023, one shy of his career high of 59, set in 2022. 

Tucker:

We put a lot of good at-bats and we were able to capitalize on a lot of our opportunities and put up some runs the last couple of days. Even in Baltimore, when we were down, we were able to come back and put together good at-bats and just kind of grind through it. So I think that's just the kind of team that we have and offense that we have, we just kind of grind through and always have an opportunity to win.

Altuve, on Tucker:

I know Shohei is having a crazy season, an MVP type of season. But Tucker is having a great, great year. He should be in there with the MVP list. So, I think that says it all. He's that kind of player.

*Alex Bregman was 2x4 with 2BB. He has multiple hits in three of his past five games.

*J.P. France: 7IP, 4H/2ER, 5K:1BB. He has gotten 21 outs in each of his last four starts.

*Baseball-Reference not updating by 9:45am has made this needlessly difficult.

*Michael Brantley...might?...be coming back...at some point?

*Jose Abreu is on the IL with inflammation in his lower back. Abreu:

I felt it at the beginning of the season, but it was something I just thought was normal. It went away. Right before the All-Star Break, felt it again, but the same thing - it went away. But the last time I felt it, it just kept getting worse and worse.

Phil Maton joined him on the IL. Parker Mushinski and David Hensley joined the Big League club.

*Max Scherzer remains A Bitch as he (and apparently some other) Mets did not care for Justin Verlander's "diva" attitude.

*Sugar Land's Pedro Leon hit three homers last night.

*Bill Brown and Bill Doran were inducted into the Astros Hall of Fame last night.

*Absolute disaster of a week coming up for Leeds United, as more rats jump off a sinking ship.

The Starting XI and their current status in Leeds' final game of the 2022-23 season, a must-win game that saw them down 1-0 within 2':

Robles: Gone

Ayling: Still here

Forshaw: Gone

Koch: Gone

Cooper: Still here

Harrison: About to move to Everton

Rodrigo: Gone

Struijk: Still here

Kristensen: Gone

McKinnie: Gone

Wober: Gone

Twats. All of them.

*A Musical Selection:

Saturday Morning Hot Links

Will Hot Links become weekend-only? I'm not sure. But I'm absolutely willing to do this every morning that I can for the time being. That said, the Houston MF Astros beat the Angels 11-3 to improve to 67-50. The Rangers are not allowed to lose, so the Astros are 2.5 back. There are 45 games remaining in the 2023 regular season. 

*Since the All-Star Break the Astros are 17-9, third-best record in the AL. The Rangers are 17-8, second-best. The Mariners are 18-8. 

*Houston is 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Rangers are 9-1. 

*The Astros have scored 7+ runs in four of their last five games, and have 10+ hits in four straight games.

*Houston has hit a home run in nine straight games, and in 23 of 26 games since the All-Star Break.

*7-8-9 in the lineup (Singleton, Pena, Machete): 9x13, 4XBH, 8RBI.

*1-4 in the lineup: 3x15, 3RBI.

*The Astros struck out five times in the game and PH/3B Grae Kessinger had two of them. 

*Jon MF Homerton was 3x4 with two home runs, 5RBI, and a walk. It's his first MLB HR since July 29, 2015 against...the Angels. It's the longest stretch between MLB home runs by a position player since Rafael Belliard homered for the Pirates in 1987 and the Braves in 1997.

It was the 4th 3-hit game of his career and the first since August 2, 2014. 

Singleton:

There was this moment in time where I wouldn't say I didn't imagine it, but it wasn't even a thought in my mind. But as life went on, things changed and it definitely was a thought in my mind that this could be my life again.

Dusty:

That was a great night. That's a long time between big league homers. The guys were happy for him and wanted him to get another one, but we'll take whatever we can get.

Verlander:

I think somebody as highly touted as him in the baseball world, you hear about. So yes, I knew of him. Really, really happy for him today. Obviously, it's been a long road. Finding himself back in the big leagues and then having a game like today, really special.

*Jeremy Pena was 3x4 with a double, RBI, walk. It was Pena's first extra-base hit since August 1.

*Maldonado was 3x5 with a double and an RBI. It's his second 3-hit game of the season, and you have to go all the way back to August 3 to find the first one. 

*Jose Altuve had two hits and two walks. Since coming back from the IL with an oblique (14 games, 65 PAs), Altuve is hitting .411/.492/.661. He has 1,990 career hits.

*Alex Bregman was 0x2 but drew two walks for the 14th time this season.

*Justin Verlander got the win on his 500th career MLB start. He and Zack Greinke are the only active players to have made 500 starts. Verlander has made 104 regular season starts for the Astros. He's thrown a Quality Start in 81 of them.

It was Verlander's 251st win, tying him for 46th all-time with Bob Gibson, CC Sabathia, and Al Spalding, and puts him 27 wins ahead of Zack Greinke for the most by an active pitcher. Next up is Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell, at 253 wins.

*Rafael Montero threw a clean inning in relief. Since the All-Star Break, Montero: 10.2IP, 5H/3ER, 15K:6BB, 2.53 ERA. 

*Phil Maton got hit on the elbow by a comebacker and got X-Rays.

*Jose Abreu got an MRI on his lower back. Dusty, on the problem at 1B (before last night's game):

The other guys that are playing first haven't shown that they have earned that yet, either. You can't just give it to them. We're not in the experimenting business. We'll see how that goes before we start talking about timeshare or whatever. You have to figure out who you're sharing time with and how they're doing. 

*The Astros and Royals are the only teams in MLB without a player on the MLB.com Top 100 Prospects list. Here are the re-ranked Top 30 Prospects for the Astros.

*Dan Solomon: What did we learn from the Johnny Manziel documentary?

*Bayern Munich officially signed Harry Kane.

*A top mountain climber has been accused of walking past a dying guide on K2. 

*A Musical Selection:

Astros Trade For Former Mets Great

The Astros traded Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford for Justin Verlander. Perhaps you've heard of him.

Verlander is owed the remainder of his contract for 2023, which is about $14.7m, and he has another guaranteed $43.3m due in 2024. If he throws 140IP in 2024, a $35m option vests for 2025. The Mets will pay $35m to cover 2023-24, and half of 2025 if the contract vests. Essentially, the Astros added Justin Verlander to the rotation for the next 2+ seasons for a total of $40.5m. That's why both Gilbert and Clifford went to New York. 

Verlander started the season on the IL and didn't return to the rotation until May 4. His first eight starts of the season were rough: 39IP, 39H/21ER, 33K:13BB, 7HR allowed, 4.85 ERA / 1.33 WHIP. Opponents had a .767 OPS on a .283 BABIP. 14% of his strikes were looking, just 9% swinging. 

In his last eight starts, however, a different story emerges: 49.1IP, 35H/11ER, 42K:18BB, 2HR allowed, 2.01 ERA / 1.07 WHIP. Opponents with a .531 OPS on a .241 BABIP (his career BABIP is .279). 18% of his strikes were looking, 10% swinging. 

Joe Perez was DFA'd to make room for Verlander.

ESPN gave the trade an A.

It is extremely easy (yet also valid) to just say, "The Astros could have just paid Verlander last off-season and then you hold on to your top two prospects." And you're right. But while McCullers pitching 0.0IP in 2023 was certainly foreseeable, you probably wouldn't have thought that both Luis Garcia and Jose Urquidy would miss significant amounts of time. Verlander is now an Astro through all of Garcia's rehab, and Urquidy will be back any day now, and Steve Cohen essentially financed his return (at the cost of Gilbert and Clifford). 

Every Verlander start from this point forward means less innings thrown by Brandon Bielak or Ronel Blanco, both of whom performed admirably but were a little underwater with their peripherals - Bielak with a 3.74 WHIP underlied by a 5.27 FIP; Blanco with a 4.70 ERA and a 6.27 FIP. Verlander, with the addition of Kendall Graveman, also play a domino effect on the bullpen. Graveman can help give Maton, Abreu, and Pressly more time off. Verlander has also recorded at least 18 outs in six of his last eight starts, shortening the game for the bullpen. 

The rotation had been Framber, Javier, Brown, Bielak, and France. Now, or soon, anyway, it can be Verlander, Urquidy, Framber, Javier, Brown/Bielak/France, whatever it takes to get them to the end of the season and prepare for 2024. Innings total, 2022-2023 (I know the Verducci Effect is BS, but it's still worth noting workload):

Brown: 126.1IP in 2022, 111IP in 2023

France: 110.2IP in 2022, 111IP in 2023

Bielak: 101IP in 2022, 100.1IP in 2023

Not to mention that Verlander is a frontline postseason arm, giving the Astros a 1-2-3 of Framber, Verlander, and Javier (assuming that Framber and Javier aren't broken in October...and just save your jokes about World Series Verlander.) Verlander missed the first six weeks of the season, and we all kinda hope the Astros' 2023 season lasts an extra, I don't know, four weeks? Might be fine. 

Ultimately, Verlander was a move the Astros didn't think they needed to make in December, but by August they couldn't not make it. Things change, Mox. Take the money the Mets are paying Verlander and extend Kyle Tucker right tf now, seeing as he doesn't have the two top prospects in the organization "breathing" down his "neck." 

Yes, you can talk yourself into being upset about losing Gilbert and Clifford, but might I remind you of the Can't-Miss existence of "Brett Wallace" and how no prospect is a sure thing, but also mention the fact that Verlander will start for the Astros in Yankee Stadium this weekend. We're in the closing stages of a dynasty here. Milk that shit for as many rings as you can. Oh, and hey, guess what: the Astros just drafted 20 guys like three weeks ago. 19 of them signed. Next year they'll draft 20 more. 

FanGraphs does a good job at what has changed mechanically for Verlander in his all-too-short time with the Mets. 

*So, to recap: The Astros got Verlander and Graveman. The Rangers got Scherzer, Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton, and Austin Hedges. It'll be nice to watch a little division race in September and not, you know, have it wrapped up already. 

*Astros Division/Playoff/Pennant/World Series Odds, FanGraphs:

Opening Day: 53.4% to win division, 79% to make postseason, 18.5% to win AL, 9% to win WS.

Memorial Day: 46.3% to win division, 80.8% to make postseason, 18.9% to win AL, 9.5% to win WS.

All-Star Break: 43.3% to win division, 66.4% to make postseason, 13.7% to win AL, 5.6% to win WS.

Today: 58.7% to win division, 85.1% to make postseason, 23.6% to win AL, 11.9% to win WS.

*The Verlander trade came together when the Astros saw how much money the Mets were sending to Las Colinas for Scherzer. And I hope you love having Maldonado in the lineup.

*The Astros were also in on Brooks "Who Really Won the 2020 election" Raley, but nothing came of it. Obviously.

*MLB: Pros and Cons of nine top trade deadline candidates (yeah, Verlander is in here). 

*Jim Crane told media that they were interested in both Snell and Hader from San Diego, but the Padres are run by three raccoons in a trench coat.

Tuesday Morning Hot Links

The Astros beat Cleveland last night, 7-3, scoring seven of the final eight runs of the game to improve to 60-47. Houston went 15-10 in July, 10-6 since the All-Star Break, scoring 131 runs in 25 games. South Hurst didn't play, so the Astros are 0.5 games back, closest they've been since May 20. 

*Houston is now 9-11 against the AL Central, the 2nd-worst record against that garbage division in the AL (Oakland is 7-11). 

*Astros pitchers had allowed a home run in eight straight games. Houston is 25-8 when they don't allow a homer. 

*J.P. France: 7IP, 7H/2ER, 6K:2BB. It was his third straight start - and fourth in his last six - in which France recorded 21 outs. He has allowed two or fewer earned runs in ten of his 15 starts. France's 1.88 ERA since June 28 is the 8th-lowest in MLB among starters who threw at least 30IP. 

France threw a first-pitch strike to 21 of the 28 batters he faced.

*Jose Altuve was 1x2 with 3BB and two runs scored, and two stolen bases. It's his first 2SB game since August 17, 2022.

*Yordan Alvarez re-took the team lead with his 19th home run of the season. Astros HR leaders (with PAs in parentheses):

Yordan: 19 (263)

Tucker: 18 (446)

Bregman: 18 (470)

*Jeremy Pena was 0x3 hitting in the #2 hole. In the last six games where he's been hitting second, he's hitting .320/.370/.400. 

*Corey Julks went 0x4, bringing him to 0 hits in his last 38 PAs. His OPS has dipped 71 points since his last hit, on July 18.

*Ryan Pressly has thrown 48.1IP in 2023, matching the number of innings he threw in 2022. It is August 1. 

*The Trade Deadline is today. Chandler Rome: The Astros are waiting to see if they'll make a splash.

*The Astros are still in on Justin Verlander. Talks with the Mets have accelerated over the last 24 hours.

*A Musical Selection: